Magical return for winger
Joe Cokanasiga has managed a return to action for Bath Rugby before the end of the 2019/20 season after director of rugby Stuart Hopper hinted at it last week.
Hooper is hoping his side’s season is still going come October 25 when the Gallagher Premiership grand final is scheduled to be played, but Bath fans did not have to wait that long to see their talismanic winger in action.
The Blue, Black and White are in red hot form having won seven of their eight games since rugby returned in August from the five month lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
That has seen the club climb the table up to second with one game of the regular season remaining, however teams around them do have a match in hand.
But winger Cokanasiga had not featured for his club this season, despite it being the longest one in history, after injuring his knee while away with England on international duty last autumn at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
To make matters worse the winger continued to train on the damaged knee throughout the course of the tournament in Japan and played with it heavily strapped while scoring two tries against the USA in his only appearance of the tournament.
The result of which was Cokanasiga not only damaged his knee but caused secondary problems to his lower body and back which was overcompensating for the weakened area of his body as the 6ft 3in 18 and half stone back did more than 20km a week of running on his injured limped.
Bath Rugby’s medical team were furious with the RFU for the condition Cokanasiga returned to the club in, meaning he was unable to train and carry out basic athletic functions like squatting.
In January the 22-year-old had his knee operated on and has been recovering ever since.
However, the powerful wide man made his long awaited comeback on Tuesday night when Bath overcame derby rivals Gloucester after coming off the bench with a moment of magic for the bonus point try.
Before Tuesday, Cokanasiga last featured for Bath on the final day of the 2018/19 season when he scored a try as the Blue, Black and White snatched a famous late victory at Leicester Tigers to secure the final European Heineken Champions Cup place. And despite having winger Ruaridh Mcconnochie in red hot form at the moment, Cokanasiga’s return gives the Bath squad an extra boost as they look to make the Premiership final for the first time since 2015 when they lost 28016 to Saracens.
Having the nine cap international back on the pitch will effectively feel like the club have made a new world class signing with the Fijian-born winger nominated for the 2019 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award before getting injured.